Apr 252011
 
For VC’s, No More Chasing Magic Batteries

April 21, 2011  source: Gigaom When it comes to clean-energy investing 2.0, venture capitalists are beyond looking for the silver bullet — or the magic battery –- they spent the last decade hunting and hoping for. Today, VCs are more likely to invest their dollars in slightly less ambitious energy-efficiency projects, Paul Kedrosky, senior fellow at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, told the audience at GigaOM’s Green:Net conference. Kedrosky sat down with a panel of VC heavy hitters for a discussion on what’s hot and what’s not in the second wave of clean-tech investing. And what’s hot, they all agreed […]

Mar 242011
 
Robert Scoble video interview: Investing in early stage cleantech and healthcare

March 23, 2011 source: Building 43 Videos – Robert Scoble interview — “… Very little has changed since 1979-1980 in energy [management]…” Nat Goldhaber (1′ 30″ into video) Much of the technology-related startup news today is focused on companies in the social media or Internet application spaces. Today, however, we are meeting with Claremont Creek Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in, among others, early stage cleantech and healthcare companies. “One of the things that distinguishes us from a lot of other VCs that are investing in this area is that we are really very early stage,” explains Nat […]

Feb 112011
 
A New Type of Battery Startup and Waste Heat Technology for Meeting CAFE Standards

February 10, 2011 source:  greentechmedia A conversation with Nat Goldhaber How does a startup get into batteries? The first wave tried to produce their own battery cells. While some, such as A123 Systems and Boston-Power, have managed to build factories, it’s taken hundreds of millions of dollars to pull off, and most of the others have blown up like a Dell notebook stuffed with shorted 18650 lithium cobalt cells. Others like Envia Systems have built battery components. Maybe someday that will work out. The next wave, and potentially the most successful in the long run, could revolve around the traditional […]

Dec 282010
 
Goldhaber Sees Demand for Tesla's Battery Technology

December 27, 2010 source: (Bloomberg) Washington Post Nat Goldhaber, managing director of Claremont Creek Ventures, discusses Tesla Motors Inc.’s performance, its battery technology and the outlook for the electric-car market. Tesla, an unprofitable electric-automobile maker, fell the most since July after insiders were allowed to sell shares in the company. Goldhaber talks with Pimm Fox on Bloomberg Television’s “Taking Stock.” (Source: Bloomberg)

Dec 182010
 
Something always goes wrong - don't panic

There is a peculiar character associated with approaching the finish line.  Something goes wrong. For those fresh entrepreneurs in the throes of company construction, here is a rule that I have always (almost always) found true. As you get very close to the completion of a deal, something will appear that seemingly derails it. It could be a change of heart on the part of those you are dealing with. Could be that your new friends try to change the deal already agreed to. It could be a legal obstacle (lawyers are explicitly trained and morally bound to discover problems – or invent […]

Dec 172010
 
A complicated week

The hardest of all possible actions as a Venture Capitalist is to shut down a company, especially one that you believe has unique technology and a real future.  But from time to time it happens.  Your fund can simply no longer afford to keep the company afloat, even if there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. Sadly, it is starting to look very much like I will have to do just that with one of my favorites. And it hurts.  Oh well… We sure as hell gave it the old college try. Meanwhile, our other companies are […]